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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654183">The Woods in Winter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazTheBard/pseuds/JazTheBard'>JazTheBard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon &amp; Comics), The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Second Kinslaying | Sack of Doriath, The Unknown (Over the Garden Wall), What Happened to Elured and Elurin?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:15:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazTheBard/pseuds/JazTheBard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wirt, Beatrice, and Greg meet a pair of twins and a red-haired monster deep in the forest.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Woods in Winter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is just a short idea i had while watching otgw :)</p><p>set in a timeframe inconsistent with cartoon canon, as the trio is still traveling together at the beginning of winter, but i needed thematic snow so</p><p>for silm, this is just after the second kinslaying, during maedhros's search for elured and elurin after his dead brother's soldiers abandoned them in the woods</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Wirt and Greg continued through the trees, accompanied by Beatrice, in temporary blessed silence as the sun set and snow began to fall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until they saw two children running towards them, not looking where they were going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They collided.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry!” said one of the children. Upon a closer look, they were twins. Five or six years old, if Wirt was any judge (and given how much time he spent with Greg, he was), and there was something unearthly about them. They were dressed completely wrong for the cold weather, and panicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other one said, “Sorry! But it’s not safe, he’s following us, we have to run!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, aren’t you cold?” asked Beatrice, who had avoided the crash by flying up and out of the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The twins didn’t seem to find a talking bird to be anything out of the ordinary, but one said, “It doesn’t matter. We can’t let him catch us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sorry, did I miss something? Who’s ‘he?’” said Wirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The twins looked at him with wide eyes. “The red-haired monster,” one whispered. “Do not trust him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, the twins ran, disappearing into the snowy forest, ignoring Beatrice’s cry of “Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that was weird,” said Wirt. “Hope we don’t find the red-haired monster, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never heard of that monster before,” said Beatrice quietly. “Maybe it’s something new. It certainly doesn’t sound like the Beast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s all just a big misunderstanding and the monster’s actually nice! Like the dog at the mill!” Greg cheered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Yeah, somehow I don’t think so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was cold that night, but they kept walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snowflakes swirled in the wind, and the branches rustled. Wirt kept jumping at shadows, and Beatrice laughed at him though she, too, felt the growing unease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Greg tried not to notice how scared he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But on the next gust of wind through the darkness, there came a voice howling with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eluréd! Elurín!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop, wait, did -- did you hear that?” said Wirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Greg grinned. “Who are you asking? My frog?” He held up his frog, who was between names at the moment. “Did you hear something, frog o’ mine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Greg, seriously, I heard a voice!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As much as I would like to make fun of you for being paranoid, I heard it too,” said Beatrice. “There’s somebody out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out in the trees...” said Wirt. He shook himself. “Let’s keep going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had barely taken two steps when the distant voice called out again, baleful and eerie.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eluréd! Elurín!”<br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Beatrice started. “Am I imagining things, or was it closer that time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope! It was closer!” said Greg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wirt could hear distant footsteps now. “Maybe we should run,” he suggested. “I don’t think we want to meet whatever’s out there. I mean, not at night, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell what direction it’s coming from? With all the wind and the trees?” Beatrice asked with a glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wirt couldn’t, but he wasn’t going to admit that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They saw a figure through the trees, taller than anyone they had ever seen, wearing armor and a cloak (anachronous even here), and with long red hair streaming down their back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The figure gave another frantic, carrying call: “Eluréd! Elurín!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the figure turned and saw them, eyes glowing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Greg and Wirt stumbled back, but no, it was not the Beast. Just -- some other kind of monster they couldn’t trust, that they had been explicitly warned against, with glowing eyes. This was fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whoever it was stepped forward until he was close enough for Wirt to see each and every bloodstain on his clothes and the sword at his hip and the lack of a right hand, then stopped, and put his hand up in a gesture of peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snow continued to fall around them in the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not going to hurt you,” said the red-headed man, who had a deep and rough-sounding voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, this was off to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! We won’t hurt you either!” said Greg. “After all, it’s only polite to return the favor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no,” said Beatrice. “Who are you, and what do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger lowered his hands. “I am Maedhros, and I am looking for a pair of twins. They are six years old or so, and I am very worried about them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So this was the red-haired monster. Pretty obvious how he had gotten the name. That was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How -- how do we know we can trust you?” said Wirt. “You’re covered in blood and you have a sword. And you’ve got glowy eyes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The monster (Maedhros, apparently) paused. "I can see how this looks bad, but I am just trying to find two lost children. Have you seen them? Their names are Eluréd and Elurín.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We sure have!” Greg piped up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dangit, Greg! Stop telling people things!” said Wirt, but the damage had been done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros took several quick steps closer and loomed. “Where did they go? Tell me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way!” said Beatrice. “We’re not gonna let you kill those kids or whatever it is you’re planning on doing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros reeled back. “I am not going to kill them! Believe me, I have a vested interest in keeping them alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did they tell us not to trust you?” said Wirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence fell amid the trees, the wind whipping by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will not deny that they have good cause to mistrust me,” said Maedhros at last. “But they were abandoned in the woods, and I am trying to take them somewhere that they will not freeze or starve. Is that enough?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wirt asked, "Who abandoned them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was not I who did this. But it was people that I am meant to be responsible for, so I must fix this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, let me get this straight,” said Beatrice. “People you’re in charge of abandoned two children in the woods in winter, and now you’re looking for them, despite the fact that they described you as a monster and warned us not to trust you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros said, “It is my responsibility now to ensure their safety, and atone for the actions of those people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about this?” said Greg brightly. “We’ll go find them and make sure they’re somewhere safe, and you go away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s... actually a pretty good plan, Greg,” said Wirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, thank you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm afraid that will not do. They have a sister who, I am sure, misses them sorely," said Maedhros.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is this sister?" said Beatrice. "We can take them to her."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros hesitated a moment too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I knew it!" Beatrice cried. "You're not just trying to save them out of the goodness of your heart! You </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> something."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Greg gasped. "You mean he lied to us?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't lie!" said Maedhros, raising his hand and arm in a placating gesture. "As I said, I have a vested interest in their well-being, and I am indeed trying to repair the mistakes of others. My motivations are not selfless, but I mean the twins no harm, I promise."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No way! We aren't going to associate with you!" said Greg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please!" Maedhros cried, then calmed down. "Please. If you can find them, make them safe, I will leave and not follow you." It looked as if he fought through physical pain to speak those words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wirt said, "What do you think, guys? Should we trust him?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only if he promises," said Greg. Beatrice nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros sighed. "If you take them to safety, I promise I will stop looking for them and not follow you." His lips quirked. "And I am not, unfortunately for many, an oathbreaker."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>...Okay, there was probably a story behind that, but Wirt couldn’t bring himself to care. “Deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep them safe,” said Maedhros, turning and walking off into the trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they lost sight of him, Beatrice said, “Well, that was weird. And kind of terrifying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we better go find those kids now, then,” said Wirt. “Don’t want them running into the Beast.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope you liked it! :)</p><p>please leave comments and kudos!</p><p>(i am leaving comments unmoderated on this fic, don't make me regret it)</p><p> </p><p>In light of recent events: I do not consent to my own original ideas that appear in my fics being used without permission or without credit. If you are able to pick up ideas from my fic then you are certainly able to ask me for permission, and if you are going to publish, credit is REQUIRED.</p><p>This includes names such as elenyafinwë, aþelairë, and almatáru, as well as a number of other details and ideas that appear in my works.</p><p>If you are going to use my ideas for fic that excludes LGBTQ+ characters, for reasons religious or other, I do not give you permission to use them, even with credit.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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